Experimental Study of Foil Gas-Dynamic Bearing Elastic Elements Deformation

The paper considers the questions of experimental research of deformation of elastic elements regarding the foil gas dynamic bearings. This research is required to check the adequacy of developed theoretical basics and the applicability to the real operation of a high-speed rotor. The paper presents the description of a test rig, the choice of the controlled and measured parameters, the experimental set up of the systems of control and measurement; and identifies the range of controlled parameters deviation. The paper also features schemes and photos of original measurement system, which include a mechanical part and the data acquisition system. The data acquisition system is based on an ADC by National Instruments and inductive proximity sensors. The software developed in LabVIEW is used as an instrument of experimental data registration. The test results have been compared to the numerical results of the mathematical modeling.